Aristide to remain in Bangui for now, minister says

BANGUI, 5 March 2004

Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will remain in the Central African Republic (CAR) until he finds a new destination, Foreign Minister Charles Wenezoui told IRIN on Thursday in the CAR capital, Bangui.

He said the government had put "a minimum of means" at Aristide’s disposal.

Aristide, accompanied by his wife and three of his closest collaborators, arrived on Monday in Bangui after resigning and fleeing his embattled Caribbean nation on Sunday. He is being accommodated at the presidential palace in Bangui.

However, Wenezoui said Aristide had not left the presidential palace since his arrival because "after over twenty hours of flight in a situation like his own, he needs to rest profoundly".

The government has stated that it received Aristide on humanitarian grounds. However, following Aristide's comments on CNN Television that he was like in prison in Bangui, the government maintained that Aristide had been given "all respects and honours" owed to his rank.